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AT&T Radiant Max 5G (EA211001) Review: Super Affordable 5G Phone

Our AT&T Radiant Max 5G review reveals a phone with 5G connectivity and superb cameras. This phone also has an unbelievably cheap price.

ATT Radiant Max 5G Review

The AT&T Radiant Max 5G (EA211001) smartphone was released in September 2021. 5G smartphones are notorious for their expensive price points. But this particular phone model is a different story.

Considered as one of the most affordable 5G phones, the AT&T Radiant Max 5G is gaining huge traction. Let’s not forget its four rear cameras, 4,750mAh battery, and 64GB RAM.

With all these astounding features, we can’t help but be a little curious. It’s rare for a budget phone to have high-end specifications as above. The price is too cheap in our opinion.

So we’re bringing you all the details in our AT&T Radiant Max 5G (EA211001) review. Be sure to read our review to see if this smartphone is really a bang for your buck.

Key Specs

AT&T Radiant Max 5G (EA211001) specifications:

Weight222g
Dimensions176 x 79 x 9.6mm
OSAndroid 11
Screen size6.8-inch
Resolution1640 x 720
CPU2.2GHz Octa-core, MediaTek Dimensity 700
RAM4GB
Storage64GB
Battery4,750mAh, Non-removable
Rear camera48MP + 8MP + 2MP + 2MP
Front camera13MP

Design

ATT Radiant Max 5G
AT&T Radiant Max 5G

The AT&T Radiant Max 5G has a slim, lightweight design perfect for the everyday phone. It doesn’t have that sleek modernness to it typically found in premium smartphones. However, it’s stylish enough to be mistaken as a phone within the mid-tier category. This is because the phone doesn’t have a bulky stock-phone build, which is usually the case for budget devices.

The front side of the phone shows the display screen and the front-facing camera. The display screen is surrounded by bezels, with the bottom one being thicker than the rest. Funnily enough, the phone’s main buttons are on the display screen, not on the bezel itself. We feel this bottom bezel could’ve been removed instead to make room for more display screen space.

The phone’s back features a minimalist cover in Electric Blue. Unfortunately, the device doesn’t have other color options. The lack of color might be a con for some, but we could leverage this with a separate phone case.

What caught our attention were its four main rear cameras. The cameras are compiled together in one rectangular layout on the top left. Near the cameras is the fingerprint sensor. It was hard to identify at first since it’s not as embossed as other kinds of fingerprint sensors.

Read also: AT&T Radiant Max 5G User Manual

Display

ATT Radiant Max 5G Display

The AT&T Radiant Max 5G features a surprisingly huge 6.8-inch display screen. The largeness of it makes it the ideal size to view on-screen content. Besides watching videos, it gives users more room to perform complex activities on the phone. Need to type out long paragraphs? Or what about editing photos? This size screen is a perfect choice.

With a resolution of 1640 x 720, we’re treated to a crisp viewing experience that matches the display screen size. Add HD+ to that and we’ve got a nice, sharpness to the display screen quality. Videos move fluidly, and thanks to the high resolution, the quality isn’t pixelated even though it stretches to fill the entire display screen.

Accommodating only 16.7 million colors, our input would be that the vividness could use some work. Even though the brightness levels are fine, the color has a slight dullness. But for a phone at this price, we’re not complaining too much.

Fortunately, the display screen’s scratch-resistant qualities protect the phone well. However, just for added precaution, we’d recommend adding tempered glass or any other forms of protection to keep it extra secure. A little maintenance goes a long way in the years to come by.

Camera

ATT Radiant Max 5G Camera

The AT&T Radiant Max 5G is well-known for its four rear cameras and one front-facing camera. First up, we have the 48MP main camera. The high megapixels allow us to capture life’s best moments in whatever environment. You can get a couple of crisp shots thanks to its AI-enhanced camera qualities.

The additional rear cameras include an 8MP Ultra Wide, 2MP Macro, and 2MP Depth cameras. Each of these lenses performs different functions. If you’re looking to take panoramic shots, go for the Ultra Wide. For beautiful portraits, move forward with the Depth. Of course, for any close-up shots, the Macro is the right choice.

It doesn’t just stop at the rear cameras. The front-facing 13MP camera is quite something else. With its available camera modes, you can get clear selfies. Speaking of camera modes, the phone is home to a couple of unique features. These include HDR, Beauty, Slow-motion, and Timelapse.

Besides capturing photos, the smartphone lets us record videos in 1080p quality. Similarly, we can playback the videos in 1080p quality as well. The bottom line, we don’t have any qualms about the cameras. With its price point, we’re just delighted that we have various camera options to play around with.

Read also: Nokia XR20 Review: Rugged Body with Incredible Features

Storage

The AT&T Radiant Max 5G has 64GB of internal storage. Since it’s still raw hardware, we’d still need to consider the pre-loaded apps that’ll take its space. 64GB is the standard for most phones these days. But with the pre-loaded apps filling up the internal memory, the remaining storage might not be enough.

Fortunately, there is a way to leverage this. To increase the phone’s storage, you can insert a microSD card into the device. The smartphone accommodates 512GB of expandable memory storage – more than enough to store heavy apps, huge files, and countless audio, picture, and video content.

Performance 

ATT Radiant Max 5G Right Angle

The AT&T Radiant Max 5G uses a MediaTek Dimensity 700 as its main processor. As one of the first 5G chips to go into the mainstream market, the processor is accessible to most phone user demographics. Besides its high capabilities, it also supports smooth display screens, enhances cameras, and provides better accessibility.

The Octa-core chipset runs at a CPU speed of 2.2GHz, the processor ensures faster performance. It allows us to connect with others using a 5G-exclusive service. With even more power-saving qualities, the processor supports the phone’s already huge battery capacity. 

Besides the processor, the AT&T Radiant Max 5G has 4GB RAM to store temporary memory. The RAM is essential to running multiple apps without crashing. We’re pleased to know that the device has 4GB RAM, which is sufficient enough for switching back and from a variety of apps.

Additionally, having 4GM RAM means we can multitask with our device. These days, people run not just one, but two or three apps at the same time. These kinds of multitasking activities could potentially strain the device’s performance. But thanks to this phone’s RAM size, we were able to multitask without the phone crashing. Otherwise, we could just simply clear the cache and we’re good to go.

In our AT&T Radiant Max 5G review, the small details matter – and that includes the phone’s Android 11 Operating System (OS). Android has understood the need for better notifications management. Thankfully, Android 11 has redesigned its notifications so that they are categorized into relevant groups. This will help us easily identify what kinds of notifications are popping up.

We also noticed a few minor changes, such as the updated playback widget. Other features include a resizable picture-in-picture window and smart app suggestions. With all these changes, Android 11 is moving forward with its goal of achieving a truly intelligent smartphone.

The AT&T Radiant Max 5G includes a variety of sensors. We have the accelerometer and gyroscope working together to identify the phone’s orientation. These sensors are crucial in video games that require a lot of motion. There’s also a proximity sensor to prevent unwanted touches onto the responsive display screen.

Meanwhile, the light sensor ensures the phone can adjust its brightness screen automatically. As for the fingerprint sensor, we were able to unlock the device seamlessly with just a fingerprint scan. Just be sure to configure it correctly during its initial setup phase.

Connectivity

ATT Radiant Max 5G Left Angle

The AT&T Radiant Max 5G is known for its 5G connectivity, but we can receive 4G LTE, 4G, and 3G signals as well. With most 5G smartphones being on the high-end range in the market, we’re pleased this phone’s on the more affordable side. Plus, it’s nice that we still have the option to obtain a reliable connection from other networks.

Some of us may not be a fan of using data connections. Thankfully, the device has a Wi-Fi feature to access hotspots. Alternatively, the phone can be transformed into a mobile hotspot as well. Unfortunately, it can only connect up to 5 external devices. These days, the standard is 10 devices, but we wouldn’t complain too much about that.

Battery

The AT&T Radiant Max 5G has a battery capacity of 4,750 mAh. We have to admit that the battery size alone is a huge plus in our books. Its large battery can last up to 23 hours of non-stop talk time. Because it’s non-removable, we wouldn’t have to worry about it getting damaged or scratched.

As for charging, the phone accommodates fast charging and wireless charging. The wireless charging feature has been a big hit in the smartphone world. We’re surprised to see that this phone picked up the trend.

Is the AT&T Radiant Max 5G a good phone?

Don’t judge the AT&T Radiant Max 5G by its cover, because the phone has a lot to offer. While it may not have a stylish high-end design, it has the right build for daily phone users. Beneath the exterior, we’re impressed with the array of functionalities this device has to offer.

For a good price of $90, it’s safe to say in our AT&T Radiant Max 5G (EA211001) review that this device is a steal. With its long-lasting reliable performance, 5G capabilities, and unique features like four main rear cameras, this is a device you should consider during your next phone purchase.

AT&T Radiant Max 5G Pros

  • Reliable 5G connectivity
  • Quad-camera
  • Long-lasting battery
  • Cheap price for a 5G phone

AT&T Radiant Max 5G Cons

  • Small internal storage
  • Ordinary design